By Binta Jaiteh
Essa Mbaye Faal, leader of the APP-Sobeya, has withdrawn from the opposition coalition talks, rejecting an allegation by Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda that he demanded the position of vice-president in exchange for supporting the coalition.
Addressing journalists, Faal said he was surprised by the allegation, insisting that he had never demanded a political position from anyone.
“I have learnt with great shock the statement attributed to Mayor Talib Bensouda that I demanded the position of vice-president in exchange for supporting Coalition 2026. Nothing is further from the truth. I never demanded a position from anyone,” he said.
Faal said he had participated in the process as a flagbearer candidate and acknowledged that, during negotiations, the issue of a running mate had been discussed.
He said the parties had agreed that whoever emerged as flagbearer would remain within the coalition, while political parties or entities that had temporarily left the negotiations and later sought to return would also be accommodated.
Faal denied that his withdrawal was linked to a request for a running mate.
“I never walked away because a request was made for a running mate to be included. I never made a request to anyone for the position of vice-president,” he said.
Faal alleged that Bensouda, accompanied by his brother Aziz and Ebrima Dibba, had visited him at his residence and asked him to concede in favour of Bensouda.
“Talib came to my house with his brother Aziz and Ebrima Dibba. They asked me to concede for Talib, and I asked them for Talib to concede for me,” he said.
He said he had initially been confident about his chances in the flagbearer contest but claimed that developments during the negotiations had affected the credibility of the process.
“We were confident to win, but certain activities occurred which I do not really want to get into and which changed the narrative of the entire ball game. It would be foolish on my part to accept a process that has lost its credibility,” Faal said.
He also cited the withdrawal of the coalition chair and chief mediator as evidence, in his view, that the process had become compromised.
Faal described the decision to withdraw as difficult, saying APP-Sobeya had entered the coalition process in good faith because it believed it could contribute to addressing the concerns of Gambians, particularly young people.
He argued that the flagbearer selection process could no longer provide the fairness and credibility required for a genuine leadership contest.
“A leadership contest must be genuine. It cannot be a process where one outcome is effectively regarded as the only accepted outcome,” he said.
Faal further alleged that the UNITE Party had informed them that it had invested heavily in Bensouda’s campaign over the past three years and might not accept any outcome other than his emergence as flagbearer.
He also referred to allegations of inducement within the process but did not provide details.
Faal said the opposition coalition should not be built on the assumption that one candidate must lead, arguing that such an approach would undermine the principles of shared governance and collective political engagement.
He called for a coalition capable of learning from previous political arrangements and presenting Gambians with what he described as a genuine programme for national transformation.